Initialed buckle, plate, and the like



Jan. 12, 1937. L. E. BAER 2,067,811

INITIALED BUCKLE, PLATE AND THE; LIKE Filed Nov. 27, 1935 I N VEN TOR.Jaw/fave Z'Ba'e/ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. '12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,067,811 mrrn manBUCKLE, PLATE, AND 'rrm LIKE Lawrence E. Baer, Attleboro, Mass,assignor, by mesne assignments, to Swank Products, Inc., Attleboro,Mass., a corporation of Delaware This invention relates to a beltbuckle, and has for one of its objects the provision of means wherebyinitials or characters having some personal relation to the wearer maybe easily and quickly mounted in the belt buckle at the time of purchaseof the same.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a construction bywhich letters or other char acters may be inserted in the belt buckle,the arrangement being such that no solder need be used in the entireassembly and yet a firm construction of highly ornamental and attractiveappearance may be inexpensively formed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a frame which may bemounted upon the base plate of the buckle, this frame being formedentirely of sheet stock, cut and bent in a unique manner for mountingthe same in a quick and simple manner upon the face of the buckle, andwhereby after the initials are inserted they may be easily and quicklylocked against removal.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a belt buckle with certain initialsinserted therein;

Fig. 2 is a back view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the face plate of the buckle with thecharacter frame removed;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the character frame looking at the frontthereof;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the character frame looking at the rearthereof;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the characters;

Fig. '7 is a plan view of three of the characters shown in contiguousrelation;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. l with the clampingmember of the buckle omitted;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 3 with the clampingmember of the buckle omitted;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 9 with the charactersremoved from the frame;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the blank for the initial frame ascut out from sheet stock before bending.

In the use of mens belt buckles, it is frequently desirable to have somesort of an individualistic embellishment on the buckle which isappropriate to the wearer. The wearers initials form one means for suchindividualistic ornamental buckle,

detailed description of the present embodiment of this inventionillustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results maybe accomplished.

With reference to the drawing, l2 designates the face plate of thebuckle, which has rearwardly extending flanges i3 with inwardlyextending guide lips M. A belt gripper or clamp designated I5 ispivotally mounted in rolled eyes of the guide lips 14 with its beltengaging bail or loop l6 extending into a position by which it may beused to swing the gripper to and from clamping engagement with the beltwhich is guided between the lips l4 and the back of the face plate 12.This structure of the buckle forms no part of my invention, it being oldin the art.

The face plate of the buckle is provided with a main, central opening I!and the marginal edge about this opening is deflected to provide adepression or recess it in the face plate extending around the peripheryof the opening l1. Additional openings H) are pierced through the faceplate at the recessed corners, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. As themarginal edge of the opening I8 is deflected a rib or raised portion 20is formed on the back along the margin of the opening, although I ironout the stock at the corners as by a striking operation in order tocause a flow of the stock to the parts desired; this raised portion doesnot extend out to the corners where the piercing i9 occurs, thusallowing a space for the folding over of the fingers of the frame, aswill be more fully explained.

A sheet metal frame is cut out into the shape shown in Fig. 11 and isthen bent as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The frame, as shown in Figs. 4 and5, includes locking fingers 26 which are folded rearwardly from thesheet stock of the frame and are so located as to extend through theopenings In in the face plate and are bent over the rear surface of theface plate and are located on the thinned portion of stock about theopening, as more particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 8 to hold the framein position on the front of the face plate, and in the depression orrecess I8 provided therefor.

The body portion of the frame 22 has forwardly-extending flanges 23 atits upper and lower edges, which flanges are turned toward each other,providing lips 24 and together with the rear face. of the body portion22 form guideways for insertion of the letters or other characters. Therecess or depression I8 is of substantially the thickness of the stockof the frame so as to allow free insertion of the initials such as 21,Fig. 6, into the guide formed by the flanges 23 and lips which initialsor. characters are guided along the face or'surface of the face plateinto their respective opposite guideways in the frame so that it is avery simple matter ,to place one of the letters on the surface of thebuckle and then by sliding it along the surface of the buckle to causeit to enter the guideways in the frame. This structure is particularlyapparent in Fig. 10,

in which the finger 25 at the left hand end is raised allowing freeaccess to the guideways for the insertion of the initials 21 which areprovided with spacing members 28 at their upper and lower ends so as tospace the initials evenly in the frame such as is clearly shown in Figs.1 and 7.

In this manner I provide an initial belt buckle in which thestructuremay be assembled without any soldering operation. The initials may beinserted by the retailer at the time of purchase of the belt buckle bythe initials being. placed on the face plate and slid into theirrespective guide-.- ways and the fingers 25 bent downwardly to hold thesame in locked position, all of which operation may be performed fromthe front of the structure where easy access is afforded, yet there isprovided a structure which is very ornamental in appearance andattractive to the user.

I purposely close one end of the guideway by the fingers extending asshown in these figures, as shown in Figs. 4 and 10 leaving the other endof the guideways open for the reception of the initials, and after theyhave been positioned in the guideways I fold at least one of the fingers25at the other end of the guideways to block this end and hold theinitials firmly in place.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the constructionillustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve theprivilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which,

the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited onlyby the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an openingtherein, a frame mounted on the front of said face plate to surroundsaid opening, characters slidable into said ing, a frame set in saidrecess, means to hold the the surface of the face plate.

frame in position, removable characters positionable in said frame, andmeans to hold said characters against accidental removal from saidframe.

3. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an openingtherein, a recess in the face plate about the marginal edge of said!opening; a frame set in said recess, fingers on the frame bent over theback surface of said plate to hold the frame in position, removablecharacters positionable in said frame, and means to hold said charactersagainst accidental removal from said frame.

4. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an openingtherein, a recess in the face plate about the marginal edge of saidopening provided with additional openings spaced from the main opening,a frame set in said recess, fingers on the frame extending through saidadditional openings and bent over the back surface of said plate to holdthe frame in position, removable characters positionablein said frame,and means to hold said characters against accidental. removal from saidframe.

5. In a buckle and the like having a face plate with a main opening andalso spaced openings therein, a character frame comprising a sheet stockbody portion surrounding said main opening and with integral fingersextending rearwardly therefrom through said spaced openings and bentover the .rear of said face plate, integral channel guides formed on thefront of said frame for the reception of characters or the like, and afinger on said frame bendableto block the. removal of characters fromsaid channels.

6. In a buckle and the like having a face plate with a main opening andalso spaced openings therein, a character frame comprising a sheet stockbodyportion surrounding said main opening and with integral fingersextending rearwardly therefrom through said spaced openings and bentover the rear of said face plate, the stock of said frame along theupper and lower edges thereof extending forwardly and then inwardlytoward each other to provide guides-for inserted characters, and fingersprovided on said frame foldable across at least one of said characterguides to block the removal of characters therefrom.

7. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with anopening'therein, the stock of the face plate being deflected about theopening to provide a recess with thinned portions along said recess, aframe in said recess with fingers ex tending through the face plate andfolded to contact the rear of the face plate at said thinned portions.

8. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an openingtherein, the stock of the face plate being deflected about the openingto provide a recess, a. frame positioned in said recess flush with thesurface of said face plate and provided with forwardly extending channelguides for the reception of characters slid along LAWRENCE E. BAER.

